To: Arcana
From: Peggy Brown (oispeggy@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu)
Subj: Chaos Magick (0000.chaomgk.pb)
Date: unknown
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Chaos (or kaos or khaos) magick, one of my favorite subjects, since
coyote sorcerers also practice armchair chaos magick. :)
IMO the subject and practitioners are too controversial for this
list so please excuse my reticence. Below are just a few facts
and references and opinions to point you in the "right" direction. I
leave most interpretation to the reader.
Fact: Chaos magick is one of the newest and currently most
popular inspirations among modern-urban-techno-shamans.
This is the cutting edge of ceremonial magick. It
involves more spontaneity and attempts to integrate
shamanism a little more directly.
Fact: It is influenced by cyberpunk, modern physics, Freud and Jung
(synchronicity), Austin Osman Spare, Chaos science, taoism,
tibetan buddhism, many forms of shamanism, Gleick and
fractals, IOT (founded by Peter Carroll), TOPY (temple of
psychic youth), and a host of writers - many of them science
fiction writers.
Fact: Spare was not the first to practice this sort of magick, but
he was the first to call it Chaos. He was one of the first
to bring it to the ceremonial genre and therefore
"legitimize" it.
Fact: There is a direct connection between chaos and cyberpunk
genres, and many if not most chaos mages have cyber
connections. There was an article on cyberpunk in a
major periodical recently. I think it was Time. I
think it was in February'93 - so its mainstream enough.
References (in chaotic order):
*"Defining Chaos" by Mark Chao.
*"Kathulu Magik" by Haramullah
*"Liber Nigris" by Frater Nigris
Sorcery as Virtual Mechanics by Stephen Mace
The Collected Works of Austin Osman Spare by Christopher Bray
The Book Of Pleasure by Austin Osman Spare
Anathema Of Zos by Austin Osman Spare
A Book Of Satyrs by Austin Osman Spare
Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare by Kenneth Grant
The Early Work by Austin Osman Spare
Excess Spare by Austin Osman Spare
Stations In Time by Austin Osman Spare
Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick
Turbulent Mirror by John Briggs & F. David Peat
Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter J. Carroll
Practical Sigil Magick by Frater U.D.
Masks of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson
The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea
Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson
An Introduction to Chaos Magick by Adrian Savage
*Published on the net....ftp.lysator.liu.se /pub/magick and
ptero.soar.cs.cmu.edu /occult (will change withing 6 months).
Both have kaos/chaos directories. These essays were uploaded with
permission of the authors so copyright is not a problem.
Comments / Other:
o "Defining Chaos" by Mark Chao is an excellent introduction.
o "Kathulu Magik" by Haramullah is an interesting essay on theory
by a practitioner.
o "Liber Nigris" by Frater Nigris also falls within the chaos
genre, though more dark than most.
o Kenneth Grant, whose works are of the most respectable.
o Ray Sherwin, whose great influence goes largely unrecognized.
o Hakim Bey, whose work 'Chaos' is interesting and other writings nice.
o Adrian Savage, who has many books including An Introduction to
Chaos Magick, which lists other authors (published by Magickal
Child).